Follow the British Maria

V. J. Simon of Piliyandala writes.......

Sirasa TV must be congratulated for the show ‘Sirasa Kumari’ concluded few days ago, at a smashing finale, which was very well organized and had a great TV audience as well. This was something new to Sri Lankans, but not for Lankans who were in the UK during July-September 2006.

This ‘Kumari’ realty show takes my memory back to last year, in the UK, where I watched a similar programme called ‘Searching for Maria’, a realty show on BBC one. Unlike Sirasa, which did not have a special mission in the selection, the UK spotlight was on the world of musical theatre with a nationwide scarch for a new West End Star for the The Sound of Music - the new production, to be held in September 2007.

Famous composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber and theatre producer David Ian were bringing The Sound of Music - one of the most loved and popular musicals of the past 50 years - back to the West End Stage and they were looking for a brand new 'Maria von Trapp'. The role, made famous all over the world including Sri Lanka and iconic by ever green Julie Andrews in the 1965 movie, will be a popular one, but this time the chief of the theatre and a panel of experts in the fields of music and theatre had transferred their powers and given the decision making to the viewing British public, to vote via SMS.

Thousands of potential Marias were reduced to just ten finalists who then performed live each week for Andrew Lloyd Webber and a panel of three expert critics including David Ian, one of the biggest theatre producers in the UK, John Barrowman, leading man and musical theatre stalwart, and Zoe Tyler, a vocal coach.

Just like Sirasa Kumaris here did in SL, they performed in front of the British nation, and it was the viewers who voted each week for the person they wanted to see play the role of Maria. For this, the professionals did not have the casting vote - only the viewers had the chance to select.

Initially open auditions were held across the UK in Manchester, Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff and London, like for Sirasa Kumari. mums, students, actors, teachers, van/taxi drivers, checkout girls, singers, dancers (and even some men) tried their luck at this selection. There were tears of joy and disappointment as some went through to the next round and others were sadly turned away to go home. Only 52 made it finally, over an intensive four days of hard work they were given the opportunity to get exclusive vocal and drama coaching, put their voices through their paces at 'Maria School" and were again heartlessly cut down to Just 20.

The ten final Marias performed live every week, singing a range of themed songs in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the panel and the viewers to show that they have the voice, the figure, the skill and the nerve to be on the boards of West End and finally only one Maria could go on to the role of a lifetime. The final show was held in September 2006, and the winner, 23-year-old Connie Fisher has pledged she will be ‘solid as a rock’when she stars in the new West End version of ‘The Sound of Music’.

An average 7.7m viewers watched the result on BBC one, according to newspapers, and out of the 2 million who voted in the reality show, majority backed Connie against Helena Blackman, the runner up. If any of our TV stations could show us the 'Search for Maria', the original version of Kumari, it would be a smash hit for the station to gain popularity and advertisers will queue up.